DISSERTATION CONCERNING THE ORIGIN OF PRINTING IN ENGLAND. SHEWING THAT IT WAS FIRST INTRODUCED AND PRACTISED BY OUR COUNTRYMAN WILLIAM CAXTON, AT WESTMINSTER, AND NOT, AS IS COMMONLY BELIEVED, BY A FOREIGN PRINTER AT OXFORD

London: R. Manby [and] H.S. Cox, 1755. later quarter red morocco over marbled paper-covered boards. 8vo. later quarter red morocco over marbled paper-covered boards. (iv), 321-372, (3) pages. Second edition (Bigmore & Wyman II, 41). Private red leather bookplate of Hugh S. Guthrie on the front pastedown. This is the extracted text from the second edition of volume 5 of the text above. A fine copy.



The English printing historian, Richard Atkyns, had claimed that Corsellis had printed a book in Oxford before Caxton. However, Middleton discovered that the date of 1468 in this Oxford printing was a misprint. "Dr. Middleton's cleverly-written pamphlet is further interesting as giving a list of all the books printed by Caxton then in the Public Library of Cambridge.